Constructive Voices

In the first of a three-part series, Jackie De Burca sits down with the two landscape architects behind Cork's Marina Park — Patrick McCabe of Redscape and Rani Ishar of Okra Landscape Architects — to unpack how a low-lying, formerly derelict 36-hectare site on the edge of Cork's South Docklands became one of the most ambitious pieces of public realm in modern Ireland.

Marina Park is often described as Ireland's first water park — not because of leisure or waves, but because water is the organising idea running through the whole design. The park is engineered to hold hours of stormwater when the River Lee is too high to drain into, and to release it back when the tide falls. Around that engineering sits a public space that hosts hurling finals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a promenade walked by more than ten thousand people at weekends, and a heritage trail reaching back to the 18th century.

This first episode is about how the park came to be. Patrick and Rani walk through the international competition Okra won in 2012, the multidisciplinary team that shaped the design, the fifteen-year phased delivery, the signature sinuous lines drawn from the river's own historic geography, the iconic red building preserved from the old showgrounds, and the layers of Cork history the park has quietly pulled back into public life.

In the next episode we get into the philosophy — living with water, and what Irish cities could learn from it. In the third, we look at what Marina Park has catalysed since it opened.

Landscape architect · Founder, Redscape

Irish-born, Netherlands-based, Patrick trained at University College Dublin and then took a design masters in the Netherlands. He's the founder and director of Redscape, working across regional-scale planning, parks, heritage and water management between Ireland and the Netherlands. He is part of Rivers 2040, an international study exploring how urban rivers could become central to regeneration.

Associate Architect · Okra Landscape Architects

Rani is an Associate Architect at Okra Landscape Architects, the Utrecht-based Dutch firm that led Marina Park's design. Okra's fifteen-year relationship with Cork began with the 2012 Marina Park competition and now extends to the North Docks, the South Docks and wider docklands regeneration. Rani focuses on integrated public-realm design for climate adaptation, urban naturalisation and healthy urban living.

“We have a solution that is already here. It’s already doing the work that needs to be done. And all we have to do is let them complete the job.” Paul Koberstein

He has spent forty years reporting on the forests of the Pacific Northwest — and he is convinced they may be the most powerful climate technology on Earth.

Environmental journalist Paul Koberstein, co-author of Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest, makes a deceptively simple argument: the oldest, biggest trees are not scenery, and they are not merely a timber reserve. They are among the most effective carbon-storage systems on the planet — and they are already running.

The book began as an investigation and became a celebration. Stretching some 2,500 miles north of San Francisco into Alaska, the great North American temperate rainforest holds some of the largest trees in the world and an immense capacity to draw carbon out of the air. The older a tree gets, the more it stores, and the more it keeps taking in every single day.

That reframes the whole climate conversation. We must stop burning fossil fuels, Koberstein insists — but that alone won’t undo three centuries of carbon already in the atmosphere. Only trees can do that. The machine exists. It is running. All we have to do is let it finish the job.

“These are the trees that we should protect — the old trees, the big trees, the trees that store the most carbon.” Paul Koberstein

In this episode of Constructive Voices, Jackie De Burca speaks with Paul about old growth and carbon, the difference between a forest and a plantation, the rapid dismantling of a century of US forest protection, wildfire and the violent “fires that make their own weather,” the misinformation flowing from the timber industry — and the question every builder should ask before specifying timber: what forest paid the price?

Jackie and Paul explore why old forests deserve to be treated as critical climate infrastructure — and why protecting them is as much a political and communication challenge as an ecological one. They discuss:

“They’re not forests, they’re really just crops.” Paul Koberstein

This episode is about far more than trees.

It is about power, extraction, communication and what we choose to value. Koberstein’s work asks a direct question: if we protect wetlands and coral reefs as critical natural systems, why not the old-growth forests that store more carbon than almost anything else on land?

Instead of spending fortunes to invent a carbon-removal machine that barely works, we could protect the proven one already standing around us. Instead of clearing old forests and calling the replanted crop a “forest,” we could take our timber from tree farms and leave the giants to keep working. Instead of selling industrial logging as fire safety, we could protect the old stands, thin the plantations, and harden the homes of the millions who live in wooded areas.

Koberstein does not reach for measured language when he describes the current direction of US forest policy. He calls it a dismantling of more than a century of progress, unfolding at an alarming rate — a 2025 executive order on timber production, an “emergency” determination covering more than 112 million acres of national forest, and the move to rescind the Roadless Rule that had protected nearly 59 million acres since 2001. The roads, he says, are the tell: they are the first step in opening an intact forest to everything that follows.

“It’s definitely more than just an attack on our forests. It’s an attack on democracy.” Paul Koberstein

One of the most striking parts of the conversation is Koberstein’s account of pyrocumulonimbus — pyroCb for short — wildfires so violent they generate their own weather systems, punching smoke and ash into the stratosphere where it can circle the globe for months. They spawn fire tornadoes that shred forests rather than merely burn them. During Australia’s Black Summer, 38 erupted in a single season. They now appear along the Spain–Portugal border too, hurling burning embers miles ahead of the fire front — “a hurricane of embers” that can take whole communities down.

Mass timber is being celebrated as a low-carbon future for construction — and it can be. But Koberstein’s argument sits underneath that promise as a necessary caution. “Renewable” can mislead if it hides what is actually happening in the forest. A young plantation does not hold the same carbon, provide the same habitat, or regulate water the way an old forest does. The deeper question for anyone specifying timber is not whether to build with wood, but what forest paid the price for it.

“All we have to do is protect these trees.” Paul Koberstein

“I grew up with my parents telling me stories about the ancient Persian civilisation… and I created this huge passion for ancient civilisations.” Moein Nodehi

Moein Nodehi Constructive Voices Podcast Cover

He was born in the middle of war.

As conflict tore through Iran, Moein Nodehi’s family fled in search of safety, eventually ending up in an immigration camp in Sweden.

But even in those uncertain early years, another world was being built inside him.

His parents kept hope alive by telling stories of ancient Persia — its gardens, palaces, civic systems and extraordinary buildings. Those stories stayed with him. So did the contrast he later witnessed when he returned to Iran as a boy: the visible scars of war set alongside the brilliance of ancient architecture.

That collision of destruction and civilisation shaped him.

It made him question how we build, why we build, and what kind of world our buildings are really creating.

“What happened to me in the pyramids was deeper than what I can really explain with words.” Moein Nodehi

Biotonomy's visual of green walls

Years later, that questioning would take him from engineering school to major construction projects in Dubai, and then far beyond the mainstream industry altogether. Disillusioned by what he saw — buildings celebrated as symbols of innovation while human and environmental costs were ignored — Moein chose a different route.

He walked away, travelled widely, learned from grassroots projects around the world, and eventually founded Biotonomy: a company focused on nature-based architecture that treats buildings as living systems rather than machines.

“I was really obsessed about how we are building our buildings, our cities, and really our civilisation.” Moein Nodehi

In this episode of Constructive Voices, Jackie De Burca speaks with Moein about exile, ancient wisdom, modern cities, water, heat, resilience, and why nature may hold many of the answers we’ve forgotten.

Moein Nodehi Biotonomy aerial view of green roofs

“The design decisions that we take for our cities, for our buildings, have a direct impact on our brain waves and our wellbeing.” Moein Nodehi

In this episode

Jackie and Moein explore how buildings can work with nature rather than against it — and why that shift matters not just for carbon and climate, but for health, wellbeing and the future of cities. They discuss:

“The amount of money you save as a city by investing in making your buildings and your city healthy for people — it’s a no-brainer financially.” Moein Nodehi

This episode is about far more than buildings.

It is about memory, identity, courage and rethinking progress. Moein’s work asks a simple but profound question: what if our homes, hotels, neighbourhoods and cities were designed to behave more like ecosystems — resilient, regenerative, efficient and life-supporting?

Instead of treating water as waste, nature-based systems can clean and reuse it. Instead of fighting heat with ever more energy-hungry cooling systems, buildings can be designed to work with physics, airflow, shade and thermal mass. Instead of lifeless urban walls, buildings can become places that restore biodiversity, support mental wellbeing and even strengthen local economies.

One of the most compelling parts of the episode is Moein’s account of leaving behind the prestige and salary of mainstream mega-project construction after seeing practices he felt were deeply at odds with both human dignity and environmental responsibility.

That decision led him into years of hands-on learning across projects in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America, where he encountered local, practical, low-tech and often overlooked solutions. Out of that came Biotonomy’s mission: to bring together nature-based ideas that already work, and adapt them for urban scale.

Biotonomy's nature-based cities

“When you bring nature into the city, that’s what attracts people.” Moein Nodehi

A standout example in the episode is Biotonomy’s work in Malaga, where Moein and his team fought for permission to install a green wall system fed by treated building wastewater.

The idea was initially dismissed. Officials reportedly doubted it would work. But once installed, the project thrived. The plants flourished because the recycled water carried nutrients, and the wall became more than a technical success — it became a social one too. People altered their routes to pass it. It became a meeting point. Nearby businesses saw increased footfall. What began as an experiment became a visible demonstration that greener, more circular urban systems can work in practice.

“We had to fight for the licence… and so many people told us, ‘We’re going to watch you guys fail because this is not going to work.’” Moein Nodehi

Moein also reflects on some of the recognition Biotonomy has received, including an award linked to a humanitarian conflict-resolution project in Lebanon, where people from different backgrounds came together to build and learn practical regenerative design solutions. He also shares how later work in Spain helped shift perceptions and build confidence in what nature-based retrofits can achieve.

There is a strong sense of possibility running through this conversation.

Moein is not waiting for perfect systems or perfect approval. He argues that cities, policymakers, developers and communities need to be bolder — to stop over-analysing risk to the point of paralysis, and start testing what better could look like.

His message to listeners is equally direct: you do not need to be an expert to get involved. If this way of building resonates with you, start learning, join the conversation, and take part.

From fleeing war to rethinking civilisation through design, Moein Nodehi brings a rare mix of lived experience, technical insight and visionary thinking to this episode.

This is a conversation about what buildings could become — and what humanity could become with them.

Moein Nodehi, Founder of Biotonomy

Moein Nodehi is the founder and CEO of Biotonomy, a leading company in Nature-Based Architecture.

For more than 15 years, he has designed and implemented real projects that integrate living systems directly into the structure of buildings and cities — rethinking how they manage water, climate, and ecology.

His work supports developers and public institutions in creating buildings and cities with circular systems — reducing dependency on external resources while strengthening urban resilience and ecological balance.

He is also co-founder of Circular Living where he is focusing on merging Robotic Construction, Artificial Intelligence and Nature Based Architecture to develop self-sufficient buildings

Biotonomy is a global development & education company that applies the principles of Nature Based Solutions, Biomimicry, and Innovative Technology to develop Autonomous buildings, communities and cities.

Our team of experts works to understand how nature solves complex problems, and then applies that knowledge to create innovative solutions creating a healthier and regenerative built environment.

With a strong focus on collaboration & education, we aspire to bring about a world where buildings & cities are not just sustainable, but actively contribute to the restoration of ecosystems.

Discover more about Biotonomy

“This conversation makes the case for a shift: from sustainability as a materials-and-energy conversation, to neurosustainability — designing environments that protect sleep, reduce stress load, support movement, and build cognitive resilience across the lifespan.” Jackie De Burca

Host: Mohamed Hesham Khalil – Creator of the Neurosustainability theory, architect and neuroscience researcher, and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge.

Guest: Professor Agustín Ibáñez — Director of Global Research Networks at the Global Brain Health Institute (Trinity College Dublin) and Scientific Director of the Latin American Brain Health Institute

Guest: Burcin Ikiz — Neuroscientist and brain health advocate working at the intersection of climate, equity, and brain outcomes

Podcast cover

Brain health isn’t only personal. It’s environmental. And the places we live, move, and work in can either build resilience — or quietly chip away at it.

“The built environment… is the space where we most of the time live, move, think and also thrive or become sick.” — Professor Agustín Ibáñez

In the third part of this mini-series about neurosustainability, Cambridge scholarship student, Mohamed Hesham Khalil sits down with Professor Agustín Ibáñez and Burcin Ikiz to connect the dots between climate, inequality, urban design, and the ageing brain.

They unpack the exposome and zoom into the built environment as the missing middle layer we can actually change.

“Scientists sometimes we use strange words for simple things.” — Professor Agustín Ibáñez

The exposome is the full set of environmental influences (physical, social, and economic) that shape our health and behaviour over time — and why the built environment is the missing “mesoscale” link between global forces (like climate change and inequality) and individual brain outcomes (like cognition, dementia risk, and mental health).

“I always see that the built environment itself maybe hasn’t been given the same attention… because… people spend around 90 percent of time indoors.” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

The discussion moves from greenness and air pollution to navigation complexity in cities, indoor air quality, heat, sleep disruption, and the urgent need to reframe sustainability as neurosustainability — designing spaces that support brain plasticity, cognitive reserve, and resilience across the lifespan.

“If you’re going out… with pollution… noise… and… light… that kind of stimulation can be actually really bad for the brain.” Burcin Ikiz

City at night with lights noise pollution

1) The exposome is the full environment of your life

Not just air pollution and heat — but also education, safety, housing, and inequality. All of it shapes health and behaviour over time.

2) The built environment is the “middle layer” we can redesign

Between huge macro forces (climate, inequality) and individual outcomes (sleep, cognition), the built environment is the neglected middle ground — and a realistic place to intervene.

“Built environment… provides… the opportunity to modify the inner environments.” Professor Agustín Ibáñez

3) City complexity can train — or strain — the brain

Complex navigation can boost cognitive stimulation, but as cognition declines, it can become a barrier. The challenge: ageing-friendly and dementia-friendly cities.

4) Indoors is the real battlefield

People spend most of their time indoors — and improving air quality, comfort, light, and noise where life actually happens can be one of the most direct interventions available.

5) Equity is not an add-on — it’s the headline

Green space helps if it’s clean, safe, and accessible. But noise, light, heat stress, and pollution can turn “stimulation” into harm.

Neurosustainability and the built environment

“It’s really important that we really show everyone that it’s a shared responsibility… scientists, architects and policymakers… it’s not just a sole responsibility, but really every step counts.” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

This episode surfaces “brain-supportive” moves across scales — from homes to cities:

1. Healthier indoor air and thermal comfort, especially for older adults

2. Noise reduction and sleep protection as non-negotiables

3. Shared spaces and intergenerational housing to reduce isolation

4. Wayfinding and navigation support that helps people age well

5. Climate adaptation and clean air policies framed as brain health strategies

“Work with the local governments… city planners… implementing… regulations that will clean the air… bring green spaces… accessible.” Burcin Ikiz

What if sustainability wasn’t only about carbon, materials, and energy — but also about the human brain?

In this second episode of the mini-series about neuro-sustainability, neuroscience and architecture meet in a conversation that feels both urgent and surprisingly practical.

We investigate the work of Cambridge scholarship student, Mohamed Hesham Khalil, which we believe should be integrated into planning and architecture around the world.

“We can change diet, can change habits, but we cannot change a built environment. It’s built once and it lasts for tens of years.” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

In this episode, he is joined by Burçin Ikiz, who brings a climate-and-health lens to brain wellbeing across the lifespan.

Mohamed Hesham Khalil brings a design-and-research lens focused on environmental enrichment — and what our homes, streets, workplaces, and neighbourhoods are doing to us every day, whether we notice it or not.

This is not a theoretical chat. It’s about how we design environments that help brains thrive — especially as heat, pollution, and chronic stress become part of daily life for millions.

We like to think of brain health as something personal: sleep, diet, exercise, mindset. But the built environment is a long-term exposure — and it’s stubbornly permanent.

If your surroundings make movement hard, keep you indoors, overwhelm your senses, trap heat, or load the air with pollution — you don’t just “feel it.” Your brain does too.

1) What “environmental enrichment” means in the real world

This conversation translates neuroscience into design language: environments that support movement, stimulation, connection, and recovery.

“Don’t use it, you lose it. Just kind of like our muscles in our bodies.” Burçin Ikiz

2) The indoor reality we rarely talk about

If buildings are designed mainly for convenience and comfort, what happens to stimulation, mobility, and everyday brain engagement?

“When we spend like around 90 percent of time indoors… almost no chance for cognitive stimulation or physical activity through the building…” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

3) Heat, buildings, and brain function

As the climate warms, poorly adapted buildings become neurological stressors — not just uncomfortable boxes.

“If most of our buildings… have not been created for this increasingly warming world, it can be very, very hot indoors and that can really affect our brains.” Burçin Ikiz

neuro-sustainability and the built environment

4) Pregnancy, pollution, and lifelong outcomes

The discussion doesn’t dodge the hard evidence: prenatal exposure can shape brain development before birth.

“Even if the parents are exposed to some air pollution… effects on the structural changes of the brain of the fetuses that are not even born yet.” Burçin Ikiz

5) The developing brain and why early life is everything

They break down neurodevelopment in a way that’s easy to grasp — connection-building, then refinement.

“By the time you reach 10 years old, you lose half of those connections that are made in the first two, three years of life.” Burçin Ikiz

6) Mapping risk: from science to neighbourhood action

A standout moment is the push toward tools that help cities prioritise interventions where they’re needed most.

“Brain Vulnerability and Resilience Index that can be mapped out to different neighbourhoods…” Burçin Ikiz

Neurosustainability and the built environment

Architects, planners, developers, and sustainability professionals

Public health teams, local government, and school decision-makers

Anyone interested in brain health, climate impacts, neurodevelopment, and ageing

People who want a sharper definition of “healthy buildings” — beyond comfort

Mohamed Hesham Khalil

Mohammed Hesham Khalil is an architect and neuroscience researcher, and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge.

His work explores the relationship between environmental enrichment, neurogenesis, and the built environment, with the aim of developing a practical framework for neurosustainability in architecture and urbanism.

Courtesy of Burcin Ikiz

Burçin Ikiz is a neuroscientist with over two decades of experience in brain health research, and a leading voice on how climate and environmental exposures affect the brain. She is the founder of the Neuroclimate Working Group and the director of EcoNeuro.

Neurosustainability asks a simple question with massive consequences:

Are we designing places that protect — or quietly drain — our brain health?

This episode makes a strong case that the next wave of sustainability must include the brain: from pregnancy to older age, from buildings to entire cities, and especially for the communities facing the greatest environmental burden.

“The brain is not concrete… it is always changing.”  Mohamed Hesham Khalil

We investigate the work of Cambridge scholarship student, Mohamed Hesham Khalil, which we believe should be integrated into planning and architecture around the world.

Mohamed also brings other top global experts to your ears during this short series of podcasts.

Neurosustainability and the built environment

In this opening episode, architect and Cambridge PhD candidate Mohammed Hesham Khalil introduces neurosustainability—a way of thinking about buildings and cities that asks how everyday environments shape mental health, cognition, stress levels, and long-term brain resilience.

“Sustainability… has to be inclusive and include the brain as well.” Mohammed Hesham Khalil 

Jackie and Mohammed explore how the built environment influences us in ways we often overlook: the presence (or absence) of nature, whether our days include movement, how much variety and “spatial complexity” we experience, and how factors like air pollution can undermine health—even in places that look green on the surface.

This episode sets the foundation for the series: a practical, research-informed conversation about designing places that support the brain—not just the building.

Neurosustainability and the built environment

This episode is for anyone who makes decisions that shape how people live inside places—and anyone who’s felt, personally, that certain environments lift you up or drag you down.

“It’s not only about architecture… it’s about the way we live.” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

Architects & designers (especially if you care about wellbeing beyond “light and air” checklists)

Urban planners & transport planners working on walkability, density, public realm, and mobility

Developers & project managers making trade-offs between cost, space, green features, and liveability

Local authorities, policy people, and public health teams looking for stronger links between place and mental health

Sustainability professionals who want a fuller definition of “sustainable” that includes human brains, not just carbon

Landscape architects & public realm designers designing parks, streetscapes, and “everyday nature”

Workplace / facilities leaders thinking about offices, campuses, movement, and stress

Researchers and students in architecture, planning, neuroscience, psychology, public health, or environmental science

A city-dweller feeling burned out, anxious, or mentally overloaded, and wondering how much of that is “you” vs the environment

Someone who wants simple, practical reasons to walk more and get outdoors (without the wellness fluff)

Anyone interested in the future of healthy cities—especially post-pandemic

If your work touches walkability, green space, air quality, or urban stress, this episode gives you language and research framing to explain why it matters in a way people take seriously.

Singapore aerial view

What neurosustainability means, and why Mohammed argues we need it as a framework

How lockdown changed our brains’ daily inputs by shrinking our worlds and reducing spatial complexity

What environmental enrichment is and why it matters for brain health across the lifespan

Why walkability should be discussed as a brain and mental health topic, not only a transport one

How nature exposure and movement can act as protective factors—especially in high-stress urban living

Why air quality matters as much as green space, and how mixed exposures can shift outcomes

What this means for architecture and planning decisions happening right now

Oslo views of water and greenery

“Go back to nature… and translate nature into our built environments.” Mohamed Hesham Khalil

Neuroplasticity: your brain responds to your environment
A central message from Mohammed is that the brain is dynamic. Over time, what we repeatedly experience—movement, stress, monotony, nature, stimulation—can influence how we function and feel.

Environmental enrichment: nature + movement + variety
The episode explores enrichment as a combination of richer sensory inputs, more movement, and more varied experiences—things modern life often strips away.

Walkability is a brain-health intervention hiding in plain sight
When daily life includes natural, repeated walking—especially in engaging environments—it may support brain regions involved in memory, navigation, and emotional regulation.

Green space isn’t a magic fix if air quality is poor
One of the strongest practical points: well-being is shaped by multiple exposures at once. Trees help, but not if the route there is a pollution corridor.

Neurosustainability and the built environment scientific references

3:14

Khalil, M. H., & Steemers, K. (2024). Housing environmental enrichment, lifestyles, and public health indicators of neurogenesis in humans: A pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(12), 1553.

Nik Ramli, N. N., Kamarul Sahrin, N. A., Nasarudin, S. N. A. Z., Hashim, M. H., Abdul Mutalib, M., Mohamad Alwi, M. N., … & Ramasamy, R. (2024). Restricted Daily Exposure of Environmental Enrichment: Bridging the Practical Gap from Animal Studies to Human Application. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(12), 1584.

Fares, R. P., Belmeguenai, A., Sanchez, P. E., Kouchi, H. Y., Bodennec, J., Morales, A., … & Bezin, L. (2013). Standardized environmental enrichment supports enhanced brain plasticity in healthy rats and prevents cognitive impairment in epileptic rats. PloS one, 8(1), e53888.

Crouzier, L., Gilabert, D., Rossel, M., Trousse, F., & Maurice, T. (2018). Topographical memory analyzed in mice using the Hamlet test, a novel complex maze. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 149, 118-134.

Khalil, M. H. (2024). Environmental enrichment: A systematic review on the effect of a changing spatial complexity on hippocampal neurogenesis and plasticity in rodents, with considerations for translation to urban and built environments for humans. Frontiers in neuroscience, 18, 1368411.

3:52

Khalil, M. H. (2024). Environmental affordance for physical activity, neurosustainability, and brain health: quantifying the built environment’s ability to sustain BDNF release by reaching metabolic equivalents (METs). Brain Sciences, 14(11), 1133.

Puccinelli, P. J., da Costa, T. S., Seffrin, A., de Lira, C. A. B., Vancini, R. L., Nikolaidis, P. T., … & Andrade, M. S. (2021). Reduced level of physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic is associated with depression and anxiety levels: an internet-based survey. BMC public health, 21(1), 425.

Benke, C., Autenrieth, L. K., Asselmann, E., & Pané-Farré, C. A. (2022). Stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with elevated depression and anxiety in younger, but not older adults: results from a nationwide community sample of adults from Germany. Psychological Medicine, 52(15), 3739-3740.

Coughenour, C., Gakh, M., Pharr, J. R., Bungum, T., & Jalene, S. (2021). Changes in depression and physical activity among college students on a diverse campus after a COVID-19 stay-at-home order. Journal of community health, 46(4), 758-766.

Wolf, S., Seiffer, B., Zeibig, J. M., Welkerling, J., Brokmeier, L., Atrott, B., … & Schuch, F. B. (2021). Is physical activity associated with less depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic? A rapid systematic review. Sports Medicine, 51(8), 1771-1783.

4:17

Khalil, M. H. (2025). The Impact of Walking on BDNF as a Biomarker of Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences, 15(3), 254.

Phillips, C. (2017). Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, depression, and physical activity: making the neuroplastic connection. Neural plasticity, 2017(1), 7260130.

5:30

Elliott, T., Liu, K. Y., Hazan, J., Wilson, J., Vallipuram, H., Jones, K., … & Howard, R. (2025). Hippocampal neurogenesis in adult primates: a systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry, 30(3), 1195-1206.

Zhou, Y., Su, Y., Yang, Q., Li, J., Hong, Y., Gao, T., … & Song, H. (2025). Cross-species analysis of adult hippocampal neurogenesis reveals human-specific gene expression but convergent biological processes. Nature neuroscience, 28(9), 1820-1829.

Spalding, K. L., Bergmann, O., Alkass, K., Bernard, S., Salehpour, M., Huttner, H. B., … & Frisén, J. (2013). Dynamics of hippocampal neurogenesis in adult humans. Cell, 153(6), 1219-1227.

6.09

Mieske, P., Hobbiesiefken, U., Fischer-Tenhagen, C., Heinl, C., Hohlbaum, K., Kahnau, P., … & Diederich, K. (2022). Bored at home?—A systematic review on the effect of environmental enrichment on the welfare of laboratory rats and mice. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, 899219.

McCormick, B. P., Brusilovskiy, E., Snethen, G., Klein, L., Townley, G., & Salzer, M. S. (2022). Getting out of the house: The relationship of venturing into the community and neurocognition among adults with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 45(1), 18.

6:54

Khalil, M. H. (2025). Green Environments for Sustainable Brains: Parameters Shaping Adaptive Neuroplasticity and Lifespan Neurosustainability—A Systematic Review and Future Directions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(5), 690.

Khalil, M. H. (2024). Neurosustainability. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18, 1436179.

8:51

Kempermann, G., Kuhn, H. G., & Gage, F. H. (1997). More hippocampal neurons in adult mice living in an enriched environment. Nature, 386(6624), 493-495.

Funabashi, D., Tsuchida, R., Matsui, T., Kita, I., & Nishijima, T. (2023). Enlarged housing space and increased spatial complexity enhance hippocampal neurogenesis but do not increase physical activity in mice. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1203260.

9:14

Rossi, C., Angelucci, A., Costantin, L., Braschi, C., Mazzantini, M., Babbini, F., … & Caleo, M. (2006). Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is required for the enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis following environmental enrichment. European Journal of Neuroscience, 24(7), 1850-1856.

9:47

Schmidt, H. D., & Duman, R. S. (2010). Peripheral BDNF produces antidepressant-like effects in cellular and behavioral models. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(12), 2378-2391.

Zhou, C., Zhong, J., Zou, B., Fang, L., Chen, J., Deng, X., … & Lei, T. (2017). Meta-analyses of comparative efficacy of antidepressant medications on peripheral BDNF concentration in patients with depression. PloS one, 12(2), e0172270.

9:56

Toader, C., Serban, M., Munteanu, O., Covache-Busuioc, R. A., Enyedi, M., Ciurea, A. V., & Tataru, C. P. (2025). From synaptic plasticity to Neurodegeneration: BDNF as a transformative target in medicine. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(9), 4271.

Yang, T., Nie, Z., Shu, H., Kuang, Y., Chen, X., Cheng, J., … & Liu, H. (2020). The role of BDNF on neural plasticity in depression. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 14, 82.

Schmidt, S., Gull, S., Herrmann, K. H., Boehme, M., Irintchev, A., Urbach, A., … & Witte, O. W. (2021). Experience-dependent structural plasticity in the adult brain: How the learning brain grows. Neuroimage, 225, 117502.

10:14

Khalil, M. H. (2024). The BDNF-interactive model for sustainable hippocampal neurogenesis in humans: Synergistic effects of environmentally-mediated physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and mindfulness. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(23), 12924.

10:54

Khalil, M. H. (2025). Borderline in a linear city: Urban living brings borderline personality disorder to crisis through neuroplasticity—an urgent call to action. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1524531.

Khalil, M.H. & Steemers, K. (2026). Neurobiophilia. Brain Sciences.

12.04

Khalil, M. H. (2025). Urban physical activity for neurogenesis: infrastructure limitations. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1638934.

Bos, I., Jacobs, L., Nawrot, T. S., De Geus, B., Torfs, R., Panis, L. I., … & Meeusen, R. (2011). No exercise-induced increase in serum BDNF after cycling near a major traffic road. Neuroscience letters, 500(2), 129-132.

Pu, F., Chen, W., Li, C., Fu, J., Gao, W., Ma, C., … & Liu, Z. (2024). Heterogeneous associations of multiplexed environmental factors and multidimensional aging metrics. Nature communications, 15(1), 4921.

13:19

Kühn, S., Düzel, S., Eibich, P., Krekel, C., Wüstemann, H., Kolbe, J., … & Lindenberger, U. (2017). In search of features that constitute an “enriched environment” in humans: Associations between geographical properties and brain structure. Scientific reports, 7(1), 11920.

Sudimac, S., Sale, V., & Kühn, S. (2022). How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Molecular psychiatry, 27(11), 4446-4452.

Harris, J. C., Liuzzi, M. T., Cardenas-Iniguez, C., Larson, C. L., & Lisdahl, K. M. (2023). Gray space and default mode network-amygdala connectivity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17, 1167786.

14.13

Richelli, L., Arioli, M., & Canessa, N. (2025). Neurosustainability: A Scoping Review on the Neuro-Cognitive Bases of Sustainable Decision-Making. Brain Sciences, 15(7), 678.

14:48

Khalil, M. H. (2025). Walking and Hippocampal Formation Volume Changes: A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences, 15(1), 52.

Cerin, E., Rainey-Smith, S. R., Ames, D., Lautenschlager, N. T., Macaulay, S. L., Fowler, C., … & Ellis, K. A. (2017). Associations of neighborhood environment with brain imaging outcomes in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle cohort. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 13(4), 388-398.

Sudimac, S., & Kühn, S. (2024). Can a nature walk change your brain? Investigating hippocampal brain plasticity after one hour in a forest. Environmental Research, 262, 119813.

16:32

Khalil, M. H., & Steemers, K. (2025). Brain Booster Buildings: Modelling Stair Use as a Daily Booster of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Buildings, 15(20), 3730.

17:44

Moreno-Jiménez, E. P., Terreros-Roncal, J., Flor-García, M., Rábano, A., & Llorens-Martín, M. (2021). Evidences for adult hippocampal neurogenesis in humans. Journal of Neuroscience, 41(12), 2541-2553.

19:44

Park, S. A., Lee, A. Y., Park, H. G., & Lee, W. L. (2019). Benefits of gardening activities for cognitive function according to measurement of brain nerve growth factor levels. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(5), 760.

20:59

Khalil, M.H. (2026). The Architectural Spatial Complexity Index (A-SCI): A Layout Assessment Tool for Hippocampal Neurogenesis through Cognitive Enrichment. [Forthcoming]

21:59

Shin, N., Rodrigue, K. M., Yuan, M., & Kennedy, K. M. (2024). Geospatial environmental complexity, spatial brain volume, and spatial behavior across the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 16(1), e12551.

24:38

Khalil, M.H. & Steemers, K. (2026). The Neurobiophilia Index. Buildings. [Forthcoming].

Mohamed Hesham Khalil

Mohammed Hesham Khalil is an architect and neuroscience researcher, and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge.

His work explores the relationship between environmental enrichment, neurogenesis, and the built environment, with the aim of developing a practical framework for neurosustainability in architecture and urbanism.

This positive news story has been inspired by one of the world’s most tragic situations: the war in Ukraine.

“We in Ukraine are becoming a pilot site for diverse sustainable pilots, experiments and innovations. We have to leapfrog and build a society, buildings and processes that are inclusive, that are beautiful and that are sustainable. That’s our vision.” Roman Pushko

Rebuilding Ukraine safely, sustainably and swiftly – courtesy of S3RoU

A consortium of individuals, universities and entities in Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands has come together to create a solution that will not only help rebuild Ukraine but could be used in other places that have been affected by wars or extreme weather events.

In layperson’s terms, rubble from the war in Ukraine will go through processes so it can be used to rebuild Ukraine swiftly, safely and sustainably. Discover more about the consortium who are involved in this rebuilding Ukraine project.

Rebuilding Uktraine S3 University of Leeds team

The conversation explores the innovative S3 project, which aims at sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine, focusing on the circular economy, community involvement, and the importance of decentralisation.

Experts discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the project, emphasising the need for collaboration and inclusivity in rebuilding efforts. The discussion highlights the potential legacy of the project in shaping future construction practices and addressing the impacts of conflict and disaster.

“Concrete is made up of cement, sand, gravel and water – and we can theoretically get them all back. My vision is to decentralise it, prove it can work, and show people – through real demonstrations – that this is doable.” Professor Theodore Hanein

Rebuilding Ukraine S3RoU consortium

You’re a civil engineer, architect, urban planner or contractor interested in circular materials and real-world pilots.

You’re working on post-conflict or post-disaster reconstruction and want scalable, community-centred models.

You’re engaged in climate, energy or development policy and want to understand how embodied carbon and circularity fit into recovery plans.

Or you simply want to hear how, even in the worst of circumstances, people are finding ways to rebuild with courage, creativity and care.

“We need to minimise the extraction of our construction materials, extract them back as efficiently as possible at the end of their life, and reuse them – just like everything else we use in our lives, from our clothes to our buildings and the energy that we use.” Professor Philip Purnell

If you work in construction, architecture, policy or climate, this episode is a glimpse of the future of reconstruction:

A future where concrete is genuinely circular – not just crushed and downcycled, but separated, reactivated and returned to high-value use.

A future where rebuilding after war or disaster is an opportunity to rethink energy, equity, aesthetics and identity – not just to restore the old status quo.

A future where international programmes like Innovate Ukraine catalyse long-term partnerships and demonstrations that can be replicated well beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Theo and Roman unpack the core idea behind S3:

Treat rubble as a resource, not a burden.

Separate aggregates and cementitious materials and reactivate hardened cement so it can be used again.

Move away from a mindset where “waste is a material without identity” to one where each material is known, valued and reused.

Instead of simply crushing debris into road bedding – the current “wet dream” of many municipalities – S3 shows how to rebuild structures directly from rubble, dramatically cutting embodied carbon and energy demand.

The team make a compelling case for decentralised reconstruction:

Mobile modular systems can move from town to town, processing concrete on site rather than relying on a handful of global cement giants.

Circular systems create local jobs, skills and resilience, instead of funnelling value to a few transnational players.

Communities become less dependent on imports and more able to build with what they have, even in post-conflict or post-disaster settings like Ukraine, Gaza or earthquake-hit regions.

For Jackie, this decentralisation story sits right at the intersection of climate justice, livelihoods and technical innovation – a powerful counter-narrative to despair.

rebuilding Ukraine S3

One of the most moving strands in this episode is Roman’s reflection on embodied memory:

Destroyed homes contain not just embodied carbon, but embodied heritage and personal history.

Temporary container housing may solve an immediate shelter problem, but it can erase that sense of place and continuity.

“All the embodied memory that was there – it’s quite strong psychologically. Then people are put into temporary housing, often just a container, simply to give them shelter. Reconstruction has to take those people and those memories into account.” Roman Pushko

In projects like the “Circularity on the Edge” Venice Biennale installation, fragments of material from destroyed houses in Bucha are used with AI and light to tell stories of loss and determination to rebuild better.

Reconstruction, as Jackie draws out, must be about respecting local aesthetics, cultures and memories, not just about pouring new concrete faster.

The S3 consortium is also trying to change who gets to rebuild:

The project’s JETZ component focuses on gender equality, disability and social inclusion, bringing women and veterans into what has been a heavily male-dominated industry.

Circular reconstruction demands more hands and more skills – from sorting and testing materials to operating mobile plants – opening up new types of work in war-torn communities.

This isn’t just a technical pilot; it’s the beginning of a new construction culture.

Roman speaks frankly about the tension between advanced circular ideas and people’s immediate needs:

In the Teplo project, his team proposed using natural materials and timber façades for a 1930s Soviet residential block – but residents pushed back once they learned about long-term maintenance costs.

For many households, having heat and insulation now outweighs the promise of more ecological materials later.

This leads into a bigger question that Rhiannon and the guests explore:

How do we design reconstruction that is green, circular and inclusive, and genuinely reflects people’s financial and practical realities on the ground?

Rebuilding Ukraine through circularity, community with British and Dutch support

S3 Conference 2026

This conference aims to bring together scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, educators, and experts in construction and building materials to exchange knowledge, explore cutting-edge research, and collaborate on innovative solutions for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Discover more about the conference here.

Professor of Construction Materials Science at the University of Leeds, Prof. Theodore Hanein leads the S3ROU technical work on circular concrete and mobile, decentralised production.

Professor Theodore Hanein

His vision is simple but radical: a mobile system that can travel to devastated areas and turn rubble back into high-quality construction materials, proving that “we can theoretically get it all back” – the cement, sand, aggregates and water.

Prof. Hanein is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow on Green, Circular, and Smart Cement Manufacture. Following his two UG degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, he graduated from the University of Manchester (2012) with a Masters in Advanced Process Design and Integration, and then from the University of Aberdeen (2016) with a PhD in Cement/Clinker Thermochemistry.

Following graduation, Prof. Hanein began working at the University of Sheffield on low-carbon cement and concrete, where he was promoted twice from postdoc to assistant professor and then associate professor, before joining University of Leeds. His work centres around sustainable materials and processes.

For Prof. Hanein’s full biography and research, go to the University of Leeds website.

Co-founder and CEO of Rethink, a Ukrainian circular economy NGO, Roman is a leading voice on green and circular reconstruction.

Roman Pushko

For him, S3 is about far more than technology: it’s a chance for Ukraine to leapfrog towards better architecture, better urban design and a more inclusive construction culture, even in the middle of trauma.

Roman holds his master’s degree from Wageningen University and has complemented it with the circular cities program accomplishment at the University of Amsterdam. Since co-founding ReThink in 2017, he has been promoting the implementation of green innovations in Ukraine and trying to unleash the country’s potential in ensuring a circular transition for the European continent.

Currently, Roman unites colleagues, like-minded people, and various stakeholders around his vision of ecologically sustainable and aesthetically beautiful reconstruction of the Ukrainian urban environment and infrastructure.

He loves cheesecakes, music, tennis, and beauty in everything. If you hear someone humming something in the office – it’s him!

Learn more about ReThink

Professor of Materials and Structures at Leeds, Phil sets S3 in the wider context of circular economy research – from construction to textiles and energy – and reminds us that we use more construction materials than all other materials combined.

Professor Phil Purnell

Phil Purnell is Professor of Materials and Structures in the School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds (UoL). He manages projects and networks at the intersections between Engineering, Economics and Environmental Science.

Phil’s background is in concrete technology but his current publication portfolio also spans composite durability, biomaterials, critical materials, fashion and textiles, carbon footprints for construction materials, 3D printing and non-destructive testing, waste management and the circular economy. He is an advisor for UKRI and DEFRA and holds visiting positions at the Royal College of Art and the University of Cambridge. He is a member of the HMG Circular Economy Taskforce.

Andrew Horsley

Head of Innovate Ukraine program delivery, Andy explains how this flagship UK programme backs projects like S3 that combine energy resilience, clean technology and real-world demonstration in Ukraine, as part of a long-term UK-Ukraine partnership.

Rhiannon Matthias

Based at the University of Leeds, Rhiannon works in research and development and supports S3ROU across partners in Ukraine, the UK and the Netherlands.

With a background in frugal innovation, urban transitions and international relations, she moderates the core technical and social discussion in this episode, bringing out questions of justice, identity and long-term resilience.

In this episode, Ciara sits down with Jessica Gill and Aoibhínn Nevin-Ginnetty, two passionate youth advocates from Plan International Ireland’s Youth Advisory Panel who took their COP28 experience and turned it into local action.

Fresh from representing youth voices at COP28 in Dubai, Jessica and Aoibhínn came home determined not to let the momentum fade. Together, they designed and delivered “Feminist Voices for Climate Justice” – a youth-led Dublin event that combined a powerful panel discussion on gender and climate justice with a hands-on upcycling workshop, where attendees turned donated t-shirts into tote bags.

The result? A hopeful, practical space where young people could explore climate justice through a feminist lens, pick up real advocacy skills, and literally make something together. In this conversation, Jessica and Aoibhínn open up about what it really takes to organise a community-level climate event – the nerves, the logistics, the safeguarding, the storm on the day – and the joy of seeing people leave more confident and fired up than when they arrived.

How attending COP28 as youth delegates with Plan International Ireland inspired Jessica and Aoibhínn to bring their learnings back to Irish communities – with a focus on the intersection of gender equality and the climate crisis.

Why they chose a gendered lens on climate justice, how they selected speakers, and what it was like to host the event at the Carmelite Community Centre in Dublin on 6 April 2024. Panelists included:

Vanessa Conroy – National Women’s Council, Feminist Communities for Climate Justice

Jennifer (Jenny) Salmon – Ireland’s climate youth delegate 2023–2024

Kiera Carney – host of The Book of Leaves podcast, bringing the arts and storytelling into climate conversations.

The importance of talking about everyday issues like rubbish on the beach, public transport or fast fashion, instead of always framing everything as “climate change” – and how that simple shift can invite more people into the conversation instead of scaring them off.

The tote bag workshop: climate action with scissors and string
How donated t-shirts from Change Clothes Crumlin became upcycled tote bags – and why a creative, hands-on activity helped break the ice, build connection, and give attendees a skill they could take home and repeat.

The very real challenges of organising a social justice event when you’re also studying, working and volunteering:

Why it’s so often the same 10–20 young people at climate and gender events, and the ongoing challenge of reaching:

In this episode of Constructive Voices, Jackie is joined again by Tim Christophersen, Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce and author of Generation Restoration. Fresh back from COP30 in Belém, Tim shares why – out of roughly 15 COPs he has attended – this one felt like a genuine turning point for climate, nature, and the emerging bioeconomy.

"The Blue Zone in Belem: A long way to go, but the direction is clear!" Photo by Tim Christophersen

Drawing on decades of experience inside the UN system and now in the private sector, Tim takes us behind the headlines – beyond disappointment over the lack of fossil fuel phase-out language – into the real energy that’s building around solutions, especially in and around the Amazon.

He talks about dawn boat rides past parrots and agroforestry plots, industrial-scale ecosystem restoration on degraded pastureland, and the quiet revolution happening in food, finance, and cities. At the heart of it all is one simple shift: treating nature as core infrastructure, not decoration.

“For the first time at a COP, I had the feeling that the excitement about building something new is bigger than the anxiety about dismantling the old, extractive, unsustainable economy.” Tim Christophersen

Photo credit: Deposit Photos

Tim Christophersen is a leading global voice on ecosystem restoration, with over 25 years of experience in climate and biodiversity advocacy. He is the author of ‘Generation Restoration’, a roadmap for restoring nature at planetary scale.

His career includes pivotal roles at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and 15 years as a diplomat with the United Nations Environment Programme.

From the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, Tim has been at the forefront of global environmental action. In May 2022, Tim joined the private sector as Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce, where he drives sustainability initiatives with major corporations and public institutions.

Tim also explores regenerative practices on his family farm in Denmark, continuing his personal mission to restore planetary abundance and beauty.

Public transport advocate and Dublin City Councillor Feljin Jose joins interviewer Ciara to unpack how streets, housing and rail policy shape daily life—and climate action.

We connect DART+, MetroLink and better buses to the built environment: denser homes near stations, safer walking and cycling, revived main streets, and public spaces that welcome everyone.

Feljin also reflects on Irish climate advocacy—what’s working, what isn’t—and how these lessons scale into global city solutions.

“Housing policy is transport policy.”

“Frequency is freedom — build the service and people will use it.”

Streets that heal, not harm: Calmer quays, walkable high streets and safe cycling aren’t “nice-to-haves”—they’re core climate infrastructure that cut car trips and unlock local commerce.

Rail + homes = impact: DART+ and MetroLink only deliver their full climate benefits when paired with mid-rise housing, mixed uses, and strong dereliction enforcement.

Rural mobility matters: More frequent Local Link buses show that when service is reliable, communities shift—opening nature and jobs without a car.

From policy to people: Fare integration, orbital routes and trip-chaining design reflect real lives (care work, errands, shift work), not just 9–5 commutes.

Advocacy in practice: Feljin shares wins, setbacks, and how coalitions keep momentum when timelines stretch.

Feljin Jose is a Dublin City Councillor known for his advocacy on sustainability. In this episode, he speaks with Ciara about climate advocacy in Ireland and the implications for global climate solutions.

From his website bio: Feljin ran as “the Green candidate for the Cabra–Glasnevin ward in the 2024 Dublin City Council election.” He moved to Phibsborough from India at nine, attended St. Vincent’s in Glasnevin, and studied astrophysics at DCU. He’s “devoted most of [his] adult life to environmental advocacy,” serving as chair of the Dublin Commuter Coalition to improve public transport, active travel, and public space, and working across councils, agencies and ministers to make tough choices for a sustainable, competitive, vibrant city.

He notes feeling the change “every time [he] taps [his] half-price Leap Card or enjoys calmer routes on the Quays, Capel Street, and Griffith Avenue,” while also naming rising threats to minorities and the need for representation. With deep knowledge of council processes—and how siloed departments stall progress—Feljin joined the Greens because “we have little time to build a climate-resilient city.”